"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is not just an entertaining movie, it's a technical marvel.

I was a teenager when I first saw “Roger Rabbit” in a theatre, and
didn't have the first clue how extraordinary on every level this
picture was. At the time, I didn't really appreciate the melding of
hardboiled detective film noir with zany Tex Avery-style animation. I
didn't quite understand how the hand-drawn animation of Hollywood's
golden age was on the verge of extinction, and how
the technical mastery and polish of the Disney studio compared with the
wacky charismatic characters of Warner Bros. Looney Tunes, or how rare
it would be to see both styles of animation melded so seamlessly,
adding dozens of other characters from 1940s Americana to the mix.

In short, I saw the movie, liked it, filed it away under "yeah, that
movie with the toons," and never really revisited it. Today, in the
world of digital compositing, computerized paint, motion-capture and
the rest, "Roger Rabbit" wouldn't have taken years of post-production
work, with animators hand-drawing every single frame of film, combining
layer upon layers of mattes to create three-dimensional lighting
effects on flat animation to seamlessly blend live-action elements with
cartoons in a way that Jerry Mouse dancing with Gene Kelly never really
could.

And you know what? It wouldn't be the same. The fact that "Roger"
celebrates that tradition, as well as breathes new life into it, that
has lead to almost every cartoon I've loved since. I never realized
before how Amblin Entertainment's "Animaniacs!" had its seeds in the
basic conceit of this film -- that in 1947, 'toons shot their movies
the exact same way human actors did, on sound stages for all-powerful
studio heads, and they lived in their own Los Angeles right alongside
the Bogarts and Cagneys of the world.

The plot is classic noir: alcoholic shamus Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins)
is hired by R.K. Maroon, a 'toon studio head, to take incriminating
photos of Jessica Rabbit, the wife of Maroon Studios star Roger Rabbit,
with Marvin Acme. Valiant thinks it’s harmless to wise the rabbit up
regarding his va-va-va-voom ink and paint spouse's infidelity. However,
when Acme shows up dead, his will missing, and Roger goes on the run
from murder charges, Valiant and his best gal Dolores (Joanna Cassidy)
are drawn into a conspiracy that exposes the seedy underbelly of
Toontown corruption in Hollywood's golden age.

Visually, the widescreen animorphic transfer is excellent, with sharp
vibrant colors that leap off the screen, particularly in the Toontown
segments. Black levels and fleshtones are consistent throughout, and
while there is some small degree of graininess in the transfer, it is
barely
noticeable and doesn't take away from the final image. The level of
detail is impressive, particularly the depth of the backgrounds in many
shots. The fullscreen presentation is better than most pan-and-scan
efforts, but to truly enjoy the film, widescreen viewing is a must.

In terms of sound, the 5.1 mix is fairly center-focused in terms of
presenting the dialogue and sound effects, with only some use of the
surrounds. The rears only truly get a workout in reproducing Alan
Silvestri's stunning score, which is reminiscent of the Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes shorts of Hollywood's golden age, as well as the film's
noir forefathers. Dialogue comes through clear and comprehensive, and
while the mix is a bit lackluster, the sound itself is clean and
bright, suiting the brightly-colored world of Toontown.

Like the entire Vista series, the two-disc “Roger Rabbit” set is packed
with extras. In addition to an entertaining feature-length commentary
from director Robert Zemeckis and a large chunk of the production staff
which sheds an enormous amount of light on the technical challenges of
such a groundbreaking film, the discs also contain the three Roger
Rabbit animated shorts produced by Disney in the years after the film's
release, as well as a slew of documentary-style featurettes which
detail every aspect of the production. "The Valiant Files" is a
trivia-packed screen tour of Eddie's office, which offers up model
sheets and concept art, as well as production stills and other goodies.
The "Before and After" special effects featurette shows a side-by-side
comparison between footage of Bob Hoskins on a stage against a green
screen, and the finished sequence as Eddie enters Toontown. In addition
to being geek-heaven for special effects aficionados, such sequences
also highlight exactly what makes this film work: Hoskins performance.
The sheer
physicality of the role -- which required Hoskins, a former circus
variety performer, to undergo mime training -- is beautifully displayed
in both this segment and the 40-minute making-of special, “Behind the
Ears.”

For fans of the original film, as well as animation buffs, this
two-disc set is a must-own. The kid-friendly extras, full-screen
presentation, and cartoon shorts also make this an excellent addition
to a family DVD collection to introduce “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” to a
new generation of fans.